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Welcome to the 9th International Symposium on Physiological Processes in Roots of Woody Plants. Join leading researchers, students, and professionals in Como, Italy to explore how woody roots contribute to sustainability, soil health, and plant production across diverse ecosystems.

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  • Root-driven sustainability
  • Soil protection and health
  • Plant production in changing environments
  • Root-soil-ecosystem interactions
  • Technological innovation in root research

Sessions will cover topics such as root ecology, mycorrhizal dynamics, belowground monitoring technologies, agroforestry applications, and global change impacts. The event will include keynote presentations, oral sessions, posters, and a field visit.                                                

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Woody Roots 9 will be held in via Sant'Abbondio 12 (Como)

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The programme may be subject to slight adjustments

June 3 (Day 1)
Open registration at 16.00
Welcome aperitif at 18.00

June 4 (Day 2) 
Session 1. Root Function and Plant Strategy. 
How root traits shape plant performance, competition, and adaptation across ecosystems.

  • Sub-session: Root Traits and Ecological Strategies
    Functional diversity of woody roots; root morphology, turnover, and resource acquisition strategies in different environments.

Coffee break

  • Sub-session: Roots and Whole-Plant Processes
    Integration of belowground and aboveground physiology — carbon allocation, hydraulic coupling, and coordination between root and shoot traits.

Light lunch

Session 2. Roots, Microbes, and Resilience
Belowground biotic interactions that enhance plant health, soil fertility, and stress tolerance.

  • Sub-session: Mycorrhizae and Soil Microbes as Facilitators of Resilience
    Symbiotic relationships and microbial networks supporting plant survival under drought, pathogens, and nutrient limitations.

Coffee break

  • Sub-session: Soil Protection and Health
    Roles of roots in maintaining long-term soil quality, soil structure, carbon storage, and biological activity via root–microbe–soil interactions.
     

Social dinner at 18.00 (see details in the specific social dinner tab)

June 5 (Day 3) 
Session 3. Root Dynamics in a Changing Environment
Responses of root systems and ecosystems to environmental and land-use change.

  • Sub-session: Plant Production in Changing Environments
    Root responses to elevated CO₂, temperature, and water stress; implications for woody plant productivity and resilience.

coffee break

  • Sub-session: Root–Soil–Ecosystem Interactions
    Feedbacks between root traits, soil processes, and ecosystem functioning and global environmental change.

light lunch

Session 4. Innovations for Root Research and Sustainable Ecosystem Management
Advances in root-based tools, models, and management methods supporting sustainable ecosystems.

  • Sub-session: Technological Innovation in Root Research
    New imaging, sensing, and modelling approaches for studying root architecture, physiology, and belowground dynamics.

coffee break

  • Sub-session: Root-Driven Sustainability
    Applying root knowledge in agriculture, agroforestry, and forestry; translating science into sustainable land-use solutions.

June 6 (Day 4) 
Field Trip to Campo dei Fiori regional park

  • meeting at the park central office
  • general geomorphological and vegetational introduction to the park and to the area
  • visit of the EuAsiaN-ROOT core sites
  • open-air lunch buffet

more details will come soon

 

villa grumello

The social dinner will be held in Villa del Grumello (www.villadelgrumello.it/)

Dinner participation requires a separate payment at registration.

 

 

 

 

How to reach the venue:

  • by foot or by bike: From the center of Como (Piazza Cavour), walk along the lake westward until you reach Villa Olmo, cross the garden, take the bridge of the Kilometro della Conoscenza, and follow the path up to Villa del Grumello. On days when the Kilometro della Conoscenza is closed, after passing through the garden of Villa Olmo, continue along Via per Cernobbio until you reach the entrance gate of Villa del Grumello.
  • via the lake: By the scheduled boats of NAVIGAZIONE LAGHI, get off at the Tavernola stop – 1 km. With private boats or taxis, request authorization to dock at the boathouse from the Villa del Grumello Association (+39 031 2287620 or info@villadelgrumello.it).
  • by bus: 
    Line 1 stop: Villa Olmo
    Line 6 stop: Villa Olmo Lido
    Line 11 stop: Villa Olmo Lido

A full call for abstracts will be available soon. 
We are currently working to set up Special Issues to collect contributions from the conference.

To register and submit an abstract (two contribution max), please visit this link:

  • Abstract deadline for Oral presentation 31 March
  • Abstract deadline for Poster presentation 30 April

Early bird registration (1st of February)

  • Senior scientist € 500
  • Student € 300
     

Full price registration (after 1st of February)

  • Senior scientist € 600
  • Student € 400

Antonio Montagnoli, Antonino Di Iorio, Alex Ceriani, Gustavo Agosto, Yoni Ephrath, Douglas Godbold, Boris Rewald, Ivika Ostonen, Martin Lukac  

Michel Chalot, Pauline Grierson, Luke McCormack, Jiacun Gu, Barbara Hawkins, Yasuhiro Hirano, Tarja Lehto

immagine iniziale
  • 1st edition (8-12 October 1995): Held in Ithaca, New York, USA, at the Boyce Thompson Institute. Foundational event on Woody root physiology and rhizosphere function.
  • 2nd edition (26-30 September 1999): Held in Nancy, France, at the University Henri Poincaré. Covered molecular biology and biochemistry.
  • 3rd edition (29 September-3 October 2003): Held in Perth, Australia, at the University of Western Australia. Focused on physiological processes in diverse environments.
  • 4th edition (16–20 September 2007): Held in Bangor, United Kingdom at the University of Wales. Covered root nutrient cycling, turnover, and mycorrhizal relationships.
  • 5th edition (8–12 August 2010): Held in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, at the University of Victoria. Included carbon sequestration and rhizosphere ecology themes.
  • 6th edition (8–13 September 2014): Held in Nagoya, Japan, at the Nagoya University. Explored stress responses and technological innovations in root studies.
  • 7th edition (26–30 June 2017): Tartu, Estonia, at the University of Tartu. Sessions on root carbon cycling, global change, and rhizosphere dynamics.
  • 8th edition (10–14 July 2022): Penn State University, USA, at the Penn State University, USA. Hybrid format; focused on restoration, water uptake, and applied root science.
  • 9th edition (3–5 June 2026): Como, Italy, at the Insubria University. It will focus on sustainability, soil protection, and plant production. 

June is high season in Como, so try to make a reservation as soon as possible.

We suggest that participants contact hotels or B&Bs directly to make a reservation. Unless otherwise indicated (by code request), to receive the stated discount, inform the Hotel of your conference participation.

Here is a (non-exhaustive) list of hotels and B&Bs. For additional accommodation options, please refer to online booking platforms: